ASA 124th Meeting New Orleans 1992 October

2pPP2. Issues in the development of virtual acoustic environments.

Elizabeth M. Wenzel

NASA---Ames Res. Ctr., MS 262-2, Moffett Field, CA 94035

This paper will review the nature of virtual acoustic displays, which
attempt to simulate a spatial acoustic environment in real time (usually over
headphones) such that a listener can dynamically interact with virtual sound
sources that have apparently fixed locations in space and perceptual qualities
that approximate real sound sources. They represent a new, multidisciplinary
area in the study of audition, which encompasses both basic research in human
perception as well as a very applied or engineering-oriented approach to system
implementation. The common goal is to develop technology that is driven by
human needs and requirements while resulting in useful, working systems for a
variety of application areas including architectural acoustics, advanced
human-computer interfaces, navigation aids for the visually impaired,
telepresence and virtual reality, and as a test bed for psychoacoustical
investigations of complex signals. Achieving this goal requires understanding
of the nature of an acoustic object, including both spatial characteristics and
nonspatial cues like the spectral and temporal properties that determine
perceptual streaming. It also requires practical consideration of the means
needed to realistically generate such environmental sounds in a real-time
display system. Research issues in these areas will be outlined, the nature of
current systems will be reviewed, and some directions for future research and
development will be discussed.